Where is polaris highest in the sky

You merely have to point the long side of the triangle towards the Northstar. Having done this, put a finger on the seewing thread and move into your house. Standing in clear light, read the number and write it down.

Figure 6: The Jacobian Stick. The Jacobian device had the disadvantage of being a bit clumsy - it is difficult to keep an eye on both a star and the horizon. If you construct this instrument - beware - don't fall while you are aiming it out in the dark!

A much more handsome device was presented to Vasco da Gama by native sailors outside India. This device is called a "Kamal". The Kamal is far more easy and handsome compared to the Jacobian Stick. Notice, you only need a piece of wood - and a tiny rope. Pull the rope - until the wooden piece fills your field of vision from the horizon up to the North Star. Today, sailors apply a sextant or similar device. Lines of constant latitude circle the earth parallel to the equator.

With only latitude in hand, an individual knows just that he or she is on a particular "latitude circle. Although many cultures succeeded in making long ocean voyages using only the stars, weather and currents, the "longitude problem" plagued sailors for millennia and remained unsolved until the invention of a clock that could keep accurate time while a ship rolled, pitched and yawed on the sea circa Furthermore, Polaris is not an absolute guide to measuring latitude on the earth for Northern Hemisphere observers.

In addition to the daily hour rotation cycle, the axis of the earth precesses in a conical motion. Thus, the projection of the earth's axis traces a circle in the northern and southern sky with a period of 26, years.

The location of the North and South Celestial Pole is defined by projecting the axis of the earth onto the celestial sphere; consequently, as the axis changes position, so, too, does the "North Star. Similarly, in 12, years the star Vega in the constellation Lyra will be the North Star. Answer originally posted February 18, Sign up for our email newsletter. Already a subscriber? Sign in. Thanks for reading Scientific American. This is because the Earth always blocks half of our view of the sky.

Notice that that for a spot at latitude theta , the view of the sky makes the same angle theta with the north pole. Since Polaris is at an extension of the north pole, this is the angle at which Polaris lies above the horizon. Perhaps Syracuse, Batavia, or Ballston Spa.

Zack M. Nov 26, Explanation: Polaris is the name of the north star in the constellation Ursa Minor. Related questions How do I determine the molecular shape of a molecule?